Safety systems for reclined seats

ABSTRACT

A safety system includes a restraint configured to secure an occupant to a seat, an anchor coupled to the restraint and movable along an anchor guide, an anchor energy-absorbing (EA) device configured to control movement of the anchor along the anchor guide, and a controller that includes a processor configured to receive information indicative of an imminent vehicle event, receive information indicative of a recline angle of the seat being above a recline threshold, and send a command to enable the anchor to move along the anchor guide under control of the anchor EA device based on the information indicative of the imminent vehicle event and the recline angle being above the recline threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 63/035,884, filed Jun. 8, 2020, entitled “Safety Systems forReclined Seats,” the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to safety systems and specifically toenergy-absorbing (EA) devices configured to control motion of variouscomponents associated with seating systems.

BACKGROUND

Conventional restraints, for example, seatbelts including lap portions,can include retractors that couple an anchor and belt material to securean occupant to a seat and to control or limit up-down or z-directionmotion of the restrained occupant during certain vehicle events such asrapid decelerations or imminent collisions. Conventional restraints aredesigned to effect this up-down control for a typical range of seat backpositions consistent with upright vehicle operation, that is, positionswhere a recline angle between a seat back and a seat pan is limited, forexample, under 30 degrees.

Design innovations related to interior features within a vehicle cabinare possible. For example, modular interior elements can include seatsystems that can be arranged into a configuration consistent with thevehicle cabin serving as a mobile office, a living room, or a relaxationspace. In new seating arrangements, occupants may spend time with seatbacks partially or full reclined, that is, at a variety of reclineangles beyond those typical to conventional vehicle operation.Protecting occupants seated and secured to seat with a higher angle ofrotation or recline between the seat pan and the seat back, that is, indeep recline, is a current challenge for safety system designers, ashigher recline angles can increase a risk of submarining of an occupantsecured to a seat under a variety of vehicle events, such as when thevehicle experiences high rates of acceleration or deceleration or isinvolved in a collision.

Prohibiting pelvis movement of the occupant to avoid submarining using aconventional restraint, retractor, and anchor can increase a risk ofspinal injury based on higher axial and bending forces experienced inthe lumbar spine region of an occupant secured to a seat at higher ordeeper recline angles. In an example related to axial forces acting upona spine of an occupant during a vehicle event, the magnitude of axialforces experienced at a recline angle of 45 degrees can be 50% to 75%higher for the same vehicle event when compared to axial forcesexperienced at a recline angle of 23 degrees. In another example, themagnitude of axial forces experienced at a recline angle of 60 degreescan be 100% to 150% higher for the same vehicle event when compared toaxial forces experienced at a recline angle of 23 degrees. Similarrelationships to those described for axial forces at various reclineangles also exist for flexion or moments acting upon a spine of anoccupant during a vehicle event.

SUMMARY

A first aspect of the disclosed embodiments is a safety system. Thesafety system includes a restraint configured to secure an occupant to aseat, an anchor coupled to the restraint and movable along an anchorguide, an anchor energy-absorbing (EA) device configured to controlmovement of the anchor along the anchor guide, and a controller thatincludes a processor configured to receive information indicative of animminent vehicle event, receive information indicative of a reclineangle of the seat being above a recline threshold, and send a command toenable the anchor to move along the anchor guide under control of theanchor EA device based on the information indicative of the imminentvehicle event and the recline angle being above the recline threshold.

In the first aspect, the anchor can be movable along the anchor guide inat least one of a fore-aft direction or an up-down direction in relationto the seat. The processor can be further configured to receiveinformation indicative of the recline angle being below a reclinethreshold and send a command to prohibit movement of the anchor alongthe anchor guide based on the information indicative of the reclineangle being below the recline threshold. The safety system can includean anchor release mechanism movable between a locked position in whichthe anchor release mechanism restrains movement of the anchor relativeto the anchor guide and an unlocked position in which the anchor releasemechanism permits movement of the anchor relative to the anchor guide.The processor can be further configured to send a command to the anchorrelease mechanism to cause the anchor release mechanism to move from thelocked position to the unlocked position based on the informationindicative of the imminent vehicle event and the recline angle beingabove the recline threshold. The recline threshold can be greater thanor equal to 45 degrees or greater than or equal to 60 degrees. Theanchor EA device can comprise an EA element disposed within the anchorguide and configured to deform above a predetermined load threshold tocontrol movement of the anchor along the anchor guide. The EA elementcan include notches spaced along a longitudinal axis of the anchorguide. The anchor EA device can comprise a cable coupled to the anchorand configured to payout from a cable guide above a predetermined loadthreshold to control movement of the anchor along the anchor guide. Thecable guide can comprise a spool and a torsion bar configured to controlpayout of the cable about the spool and along the anchor guide. Thecable can comprise a ductile strip and the cable guide comprisesbarriers configured to deform the ductile stripe to control payout ofthe ductile strip along the anchor guide. The features described here inrespect to the first aspect can be used together or independently in thesafety system.

A second aspect of the disclosed embodiments is a safety system. Thesafety system includes a seat with a seat back positioned in relation toa seat pan at a recline angle, a restraint configured to secure anoccupant to the seat, an anchor coupled to the restraint and movablealong an anchor guide, an anchor release mechanism configured toprohibit or allow movement of the anchor along the anchor guide, ananchor energy-absorbing (EA) device configured to control movement ofthe anchor along the anchor guide, and a controller that includes aprocessor configured to receive information indicative of an imminentcollision, receive information indicative of the recline angle beingabove a recline threshold, and send a command to the anchor releasemechanism to allow movement of the anchor along the anchor guide undercontrol of the anchor EA device based on the information indicative ofthe imminent collision and the recline angle being above the reclinethreshold.

In the second aspect, the anchor can be movable along the anchor guidein at least one of a fore-aft direction or an up-down direction inrelation to the seat. The recline threshold can be greater than or equalto 30 degrees or greater than or equal to 45 degrees. The processor canbe further configured to receive information indicative of the reclineangle being below the recline threshold and send a command to the anchorrelease mechanism to prohibit movement of the anchor along the anchorguide based on the information indicative of the recline angle beingbelow the recline threshold. The seat can movable along a seat guide.The safety system can include a seat EA device configured to controlmovement of the seat in respect to the seat guide. The processor can befurther configured to send a command to allow movement of the seat alongthe seat guide under control of the seat EA device based on theinformation indicative of the imminent collision and the recline anglebeing above the recline threshold. The seat pan of the seat can bemovable along the seat guide in at least one of a fore-aft direction oran up-down direction in relation to the seat back. The safety system caninclude a footrest spaced from the seat and the anchor and movable alonga footrest guide and a footrest EA device configured to control movementof the footrest along the footrest guide. The processor can be furtherconfigured to send a command to allow movement of the footrest along thefootrest guide under control of the footrest EA device based on theinformation indicative of the imminent collision and the recline anglebeing above the recline threshold. The anchor EA device, the seat EAdevice, and the footrest EA device can each comprise an EA elementconfigured to deform above a predetermined load threshold to controlmovement of the anchor, the seat, and the footrest along the anchorguide, the seat guide, and the footrest guide, respectively. The EAelement can include notches spaced along a longitudinal axis configuredto deform above the predetermined load threshold or a cable configuredto payout from a cable guide above the predetermined load threshold. Thefeatures described here in respect to the second aspect can be usedtogether or independently in the safety system.

A third aspect of the disclosed embodiments is a method of controllingmovement of an occupant in a seat. The method includes receiving, at acontroller, information indicative of an imminent vehicle event andindicative of a recline angle of the seat being above a reclinethreshold. The method includes sending a command, from the controller,to enable an anchor of a restraint associated with the seat to movealong an anchor guide under control of an anchor EA device based on theinformation indicative of the imminent vehicle event and the reclineangle being above the recline threshold. The method includes sending acommand, from the controller, to enable the seat to move along a seatguide under control of a seat EA device based on the informationindicative of the imminent vehicle event and the recline angle beingabove the recline threshold.

In the third aspect, a seat pan of the seat can be movable along theseat guide in at least one of a fore-aft direction or an up-downdirection in relation to a seat back of the seat, and wherein the anchoris movable along the anchor guide in at least one of the fore-aftdirection or the up-down direction in relation to the seat. The anchorEA device and the seat EA device can each comprise an EA elementconfigured to deform above a predetermined load threshold to controlmovement of the anchor and the seat along the anchor guide and the seatguide, respectively. The method can include sending a command, from thecontroller, to enable a footrest to move along a footrest guide undercontrol of a footrest EA device based on the information indicative ofthe imminent vehicle event and the recline angle being above the reclinethreshold. The method can include receiving, at the controller,information indicative of the recline angle of the seat being below therecline threshold, sending a command, from the controller, to prohibitmovement of the anchor along the anchor guide based on the informationindicative of the recline angle being below the recline threshold, andsending a command, from the controller, to prohibit movement of the seatalong the seat guide based on the information indicative of the reclineangle being below the recline threshold. The features described here inrespect to the third aspect can be used together or independently in themethod of controlling movement of the occupant in the seat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a motion diagram for an example of a seat and arestraint for use with a vehicle.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show motion diagrams for examples of a safetysystem for use with a vehicle.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show motion diagrams for additional examples of a safetysystem for use with a vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows a motion diagram for an example of an energy-absorbing (EA)device for use with any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3C.

FIG. 5 shows a motion diagram for another example of an EA device foruse with any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3C.

FIG. 6 shows a motion diagram for another example of an EA device foruse with any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3C.

FIG. 7 shows a motion diagram for another example of an EA device foruse with any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3C.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a safety system.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a hardware configuration for a controller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A safety system is disclosed that both prohibits submarining andprevents higher levels of axial and bending forces from acting on anoccupant seated at a deep recline prior to or during a vehicle event. Toachieve these goals, movement of the occupant in a fore-aft or anx-direction and in an up-down or a z-direction can be controlled usingEA devices and the safety systems described herein. The EA devicesdescribed can be used with a restraint, a seat pan or entire seat, afootrest, or any combination thereof to discretely manage forces in thefore-aft or x-direction and the up-down or z-direction. The new safetysystems allow for control of displacement of a pelvis of an occupant,and thus control of axial and bending forces that act upon a spine of anoccupant, while maintaining a sufficient restraint force in the up-downor z-direction to avoid submarining.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a motion diagram for an example of a seat 100 and arestraint 102 for use with a vehicle (not shown). The seat 100 includesa seat pan 104 and a seat back 106. In FIG. 1A, the seat back 106 isrotated away from or reclined in respect to the seat pan 104 and inrespect to a vertical, up-down, or z-direction at a recline angle A asshown. The recline angle A is consistent with a generally uprightposition for an occupant secured to the seat 100 and can range, forexample, from 0 degrees to 30 degrees, from 10 degrees to 40 degrees,etc. The recline angle A can be below a recline threshold, for example,below a 20, 30, or 45 degree threshold generally associated with a mildrecline. In FIG. 1B, the seat back 106 is reclined in respect to theseat pan 104 and the vertical, up-down, or z-direction at a reclineangle B as shown. The recline angle B is consistent with a deeperrecline of an occupant secured to the seat 100 and can range, forexample, from 30 to 90 degrees, from 40 to 70 degrees, from 45 to 60degrees, etc. The recline angle B can be above a recline threshold, forexample, above a 30, 45, or 60 degree threshold associated with deeprecline.

The restraint 102 is designed to secure an occupant to the seat 100, andin the described examples, the restraint 102 is coupled to a restraintanchor 108 and includes a lap portion 110 and a shoulder portion 112.The restraint anchor 108 can secure the restraint 102 to a portion ofthe seat 100 or to another structure (not shown) within the vehicle. Therestraint anchor 108 can also provide directional guidance forpositioning the restraint 102 on the occupant's body. The restraintanchor 108 in FIGS. 1A and 1B can be stationary, that is, fixed to apredetermined position in respect to the seat 100. The seat 100 and therestraint 102 can include additional anchors (not shown), one or morebuckles (not shown) to secure and release the restraint 102, and one ormore retractors (not shown) that control payout of the portions 110, 112of the restraint 102 in respect to the restraint anchor 108 duringvarious vehicle events such as rapid deceleration or a vehiclecollision. During a vehicle event such as a rapid deceleration orcollision, the lap portion 110 of the restraint 102 can extend fartherfrom the restraint anchor 108 in its stationary position when the seat100 is in deep recline, such as in FIG. 1B, than is the case when theseat 100 is in mild recline, such as in FIG. 1A, increasing a risk forsubmarining of the occupant. Safety systems to decrease this risk aredescribed herein.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show motion diagrams for examples of a safetysystem for use with a vehicle. The safety system is associated with aseat 200 that includes a seat pan 204 and a seat back 206 rotated inrespect to the seat pan 204. In these examples, the seat back 206 ispositioned at a deep recline angle such as the angles described inrespect to FIG. 1B. A restraint 202 is coupled to an anchor 208 andincludes a lap portion 210 and a shoulder portion 212 (shownschematically). The safety system also includes an anchor guide 214configured to enable the anchor 208 to move in a controlled manner alongthe anchor guide 214. Movement of the anchor 208 along the anchor guide214 before or during a vehicle event such as a rapid deceleration orcollision can be controlled by an anchor release mechanism 215, byinertia of the vehicle prior to or during the vehicle event, and/or byEA devices such as the EA devices described in respect to FIGS. 4-7.

In operation of the safety system shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, acontroller (not shown) can receive information indicative of a vehicleevent, such as an imminent collision or rapid deceleration, andinformation indicative of a recline angle of the seat 200 being above arecline threshold, such as above a 30, 45, 60, or 75 degree threshold.The information can be received from various sensors (not shown) thatcommunicate information to the controller. For example, the sensors caninclude sensors configured to capture information from an externalenvironment outside of the vehicle cabin. External-sensing sensors caninclude technologies such as radar, LIDAR, imaging, infrared, or othertechnologies configured to detect potential or imminent vehicle eventssuch as collisions or rapid decelerations and provide information to thecontroller to allow a determination of timing of the vehicle event. Thesensors can also include sensors internal to the vehicle such as weightsensors, buckle switch sensors, internal cameras, seat position sensors,imaging sensors, etc. that can provide information to the controller.

The controller can send a command, for example, to the anchor releasemechanism 215, to allow (or prohibit) movement of the anchor 208 alongthe anchor guide 214 based on receiving information indicative of thevehicle event and indicative of the recline angle being above (or below)the recline threshold, for example, from the sensors. The anchor releasemechanism 215 can be movable between a locked position in which theanchor release mechanism 215 restrains or prohibits movement of theanchor 208 relative to the anchor guide 214 and an unlocked position inwhich the anchor release mechanism 215 permits or allows movement of theanchor 208 relative to the anchor guide 214. The anchor releasemechanism 215 can be implemented such that the anchor 208 is immovablein respect to the anchor guide 214 before and after controlled movementsuch that the anchor 208 does not return to a pre-movement positionafter moving before or during a vehicle event.

The anchor release mechanism 215 may be configured as one or more of anelectromechanical device, a pyrotechnic device, a pneumatic device,and/or a pre-tensioned spring device. In the case of anelectromechanical device, the anchor release mechanism 215 can includean electric motor, a threaded rod, and a threaded guide coupled to asensor module (not shown) that receives commands. A pyrotechnic devicecan include an electronically activated pyrotechnic charge whichreleases a blocking mechanism or severs a restraining device. Apneumatic device can include pressurized gas (or a vacuum) configured toeffect movement of a piston (not shown) based on a command. Apre-tensioned spring device can include a spring that is coupled to asensor module (not shown). The spring can be held in tension until beingselectively released, for example, based on a command from thecontroller (not shown). The anchor release mechanism 215 can alsoinclude other mechanisms such as magnetic systems, telescoping systems,cable or tether systems, etc. and movement between the locked andunlocked positions can be designed to be reversible or non-reversible.For example, movement may occur in a single direction with a blockingmechanism (not shown) to stop reverse movement.

In the example of FIG. 2A, a dotted-line arrow C indicates that theanchor 208 can move in a fore-aft or x-direction prior to or during avehicle event, with motion of the anchor 208 shown in a forwarddirection prior to or during the vehicle event. Controlled movement ofthe anchor 208 allows the safety system to control displacement of alower body or pelvis of an occupant in the fore-aft or x-direction whileat the same time maintaining a sufficient up-down or z-direction force(for example, using a retractor, not shown) to secure the occupant tothe seat 200 with the restraint 202. Controlling x-direction andz-direction motion and forces can control submarining and limit axialand bending forces experienced in the lumbar spine region of an occupantsecured to the seat 200 to ensure occupant safety.

In the example of FIG. 2B, a dotted-line arrow D indicates that theanchor 208 can move in both the fore-aft or x-direction and the up-downor z-direction prior to or during a vehicle event, with motion of theanchor 208 being both in a forward and a downward direction prior to orduring the vehicle event. Use of this configuration can be useful iftesting of the safety system indicates that up-down or z-direction forcegenerated by the restraint 202 decreases during fore-aft or x-directiontranslation of the anchor 208. This is, the safety system can use adownward-sloping anchor guide 214 as shown in FIG. 2B to decrease slackin the lap portion 210 of the restraint during fore-aft or x-directionmovement of the anchor 208 and/or to increase the z-direction force ofthe restraint 202.

In the example of FIG. 2C, a dotted-line arrow E indicates that theanchor 208 can move in both the fore-aft or x-direction and the up-downor z-direction prior to or during a vehicle event, with motion of theanchor 208 being both in a forward and an upward direction prior to orduring the vehicle event. Use of this configuration can be useful iftesting of the safety system indicates that up-down or z-direction forcegenerated by the restraint 202 increases during fore-aft or x-directiontranslation of the anchor 208. This is, the safety system can use anupward-sloping anchor guide 214 as shown in FIG. 2C to increase slack inthe lap portion 210 of the restraint during fore-aft or x-directionmovement of the anchor 208 and/or decrease the z-direction force of therestraint 202.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show motion diagrams for additional examples of a safetysystem for use with a vehicle. In these examples, the safety system isassociated with a seat 300 that includes a seat pan 304 and a seat back306 rotated in respect to the seat pan 304. The seat back 306 can bepositioned at a deep recline angle such as the recline angles describedin respect to FIGS. 1B-2C. A restraint 302 is coupled to a restraintanchor 308 and includes a lap portion 310 and a shoulder portion 312(shown schematically).

The safety system of FIGS. 3A and 3B includes a restraint anchor guide314 configured to enable the restraint anchor 308 to move in acontrolled manner along the restraint anchor guide 314. The restraintanchor 308 and the restraint anchor guide 314 can function in a similarmanner as described in respect to the anchor 208 and the anchor guide214 of FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, with a dotted-line arrow F indicatingfore-aft movement of the restraint anchor 308, for example, in responseto a command from a controller (not shown). Though positioned in thisexample to allow fore-aft or x-direction movement, the restraint anchorguide 314 can also be positioned to allow up-down or z-directionmovement as described in respect to the anchor guide 214 of FIGS. 2B and2C.

The safety system of FIG. 3A also includes a seat anchor 316 associatedwith the seat pan 304 and moveable within a seat guide 318. The safetysystem of FIG. 3B includes seat anchors 320 associated with the seat 300and moveable within a seat guide 322. The seat anchors 316, 320 areconfigured to enable the seat pan 304 (FIG. 3A) or the seat 300 (FIG.3B) to move in a controlled manner along the respective seat guides 318,322, and though described as anchors, a variety of electromechanical,pyrotechnic, mechanical, hydraulic, or other mechanisms may be used tocontrol motion of the seat pan 304 or the seat 300. Movement of the seatpan 304 or the seat 300 in respect to the respective seat guides 318,322 before or during a vehicle event such as a rapid deceleration orimminent collision can be controlled by a seat release mechanism (notshown), by inertia of the vehicle, and/or by EA devices such as the EAdevices described in respect to FIGS. 4-7. The seat guide 318 ispositioned in the example of FIG. 3A to allow up-down or z-directionmovement and fore-aft or x-direction movement of the seat anchor 316 andthe seat pan 304. The seat guide 322 is positioned in the example ofFIG. 3B to allow fore-aft or x-direction movement of the seat anchors320 and the seat 300.

Movement of the seat pan 304 or the seat 300 prior to or during avehicle event can be used either alone or in combination with movementof the restraint anchor 308. For example, when the seat 300 has a deeprecline angle as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the seat pan 304 may act as areaction surface to generate axial forces that act on the lumbar spineregion of an occupant during a vehicle event. Strain in the lumbar spineregion can be significantly reduced by allowing movement of the seat pan304 as shown using a dotted-line arrow G that indicates both up-down orz-direction movement and fore-aft or x-direction movement of the seatanchor 316 and the seat pan 304, for example, in response to a commandfrom a controller (not shown). For a recline angle of approximately 60degrees, axial and bending loads can be reduced by over 20%, over 30%,or over 40% for a given vehicle event using the described movement ofthe seat anchor 316 and the seat pan 304 as compared to a fixed seat pan304.

In another example shown in FIG. 3B, movement of the restraint anchor308 can occur together with movement of the seat anchors 320 along theseat guide 322 to move both the restraint 302 and the seat 300 prior toor during a vehicle event. A dotted-line arrow H indicates fore-aft orx-direction movement of the seat anchors 320 and the seat 300 to furtherimprove anti-submarining capabilities of the safety system before orduring a vehicle event. The safety system in FIG. 3B can also be used toreduce a total distance of travel for the restraint anchor 308 and/orthe seat anchors 320 along the restraint anchor guide 314 and/or theseat guide 322 by over 20%, over 30%, or over 40% as compared tomovement of either the restraint anchor 308 or the seat anchors 320alone, improving packaging for the safety system.

The safety system of FIGS. 3A and 3B also includes a footrest 324. Thefootrest 324 is shown schematically as including or coupled to afootrest anchor 326 movable along a footrest guide 328. The footrestanchor 326 is configured to enable the footrest 324 to move in acontrolled manner along the footrest guide 328, and though described asan anchor, a variety of electromechanical, mechanical, hydraulic, orother mechanisms may be used to control motion of the footrest 324.Movement of the footrest 324 in respect to the footrest guide 328 beforeor during a vehicle event such as a rapid deceleration or an imminentcollision can be controlled by a footrest release mechanism (not shown),by inertia of the vehicle, and/or by EA devices such as the EA devicesdescribed in respect to FIGS. 4-7. The footrest guide 328 is positionedin the examples of FIGS. 3A and 3B to allow both an up-down orz-direction movement and a fore-aft or x-direction movement of thefootrest 324.

Movement of the footrest 324 prior to or during a vehicle event can beused either alone or in combination with movement of the restraintanchor 308, movement of the seat pan 304, and/or movement of the seat300 to limit axial and bending forces experienced in the legs and thelumbar spine region of an occupant secured to the seat 300 and using thefootrest 324. For example, the footrest 324 can act to generate axialforces on the feet and/or legs of an occupant during a vehicle event.Strain in the legs can be significantly reduced by allowing movement ofthe footrest 324 as shown using a dotted-line arrow I that indicatesboth an up-down or a z-direction movement and a fore-aft or anx-direction movement of the footrest anchor 326 and the footrest 324,for example, in response to a command from a controller (not shown).

FIG. 4 shows a motion diagram for an example of an EA device 430 for usewith any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3B. The EA device 430 canbe used to control or dampen movement during a vehicle event such as arapid deceleration or a collision and can serve as part of or beotherwise associated with the anchor 208 moving along the anchor guide214, the restraint anchor 308 moving along the restraint anchor guide314, the seat anchors 316, 320 moving along the respective seat guides318, 322, and/or the footrest anchor 326 moving along the footrest guide328. The EA device 430 includes a ductile strip 432 that is attached toan anchor point 434 and routed through a series of barriers 436configured to plastically deform the ductile strip 432 upon reaching atunable force or predetermined load threshold for payout of the ductilestrip 432. Motion or payout of the anchor point 434 is indicated using adotted-line arrow J. Motion of the anchor point 434 can occur after thetunable force or predetermined load threshold is met or in response to acommand received from a controller.

FIG. 5 shows a motion diagram for another example of an EA device 530for use with any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3B. The EA device530 can be used to control or dampen movement during a vehicle eventsuch as a rapid deceleration or a collision and can serve as part of orbe otherwise associated with the anchor 208 moving along the anchorguide 214, the restraint anchor 308 moving along the restraint anchorguide 314, the seat anchors 316, 320 moving along the respective seatguides 318, 322, and/or the footrest anchor 326 moving along thefootrest guide 328. The EA device 530 includes a cable 538 or othertension carrying member that is coupled to an anchor point 534 andcoiled around a cable guide 540 such as a spool with a torsion bar (notshown) used to control the tunable force or predetermined load thresholdfor payout of the cable 538. Motion or payout of the anchor point 534 isindicated using dotted-line arrows K. Motion of the anchor point 534 canoccur after the tunable force or predetermined load threshold is met orin response to a command to allow movement received from a controller.

FIG. 6 shows a motion diagram for another example of an EA device 630for use with any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3B. The EA device630 can be used to control or dampen movement during a vehicle eventsuch as a rapid deceleration or a collision and can serve as part of orbe otherwise associated with the anchor 208 moving along the anchorguide 214, the restraint anchor 308 moving along the restraint anchorguide 314, the seat anchors 316, 320 moving along the respective seatguides 318, 322, and/or the footrest anchor 326 moving along thefootrest guide 328. The EA device 630 includes an EA element in the formof notches 642 designed with a tunable force or predetermined loadthreshold at which deformation in the form or compression or bendingoccurs. In this manner, the notches 642 control movement of an anchorpoint 634 as the anchor point 634 passes each subsequent compressed orbent notch 642 as indicated using a dotted-line arrow L. Motion of theanchor point 634 can occur after the tunable force or predetermined loadthreshold is met or in response to a command to allow movement receivedfrom a controller.

FIG. 7 shows a motion diagram for another example of an EA device 730for use with any of the safety systems of FIGS. 2A to 3B. The EA device730 can be used to dampen movement during a vehicle event such as arapid deceleration or a collision and can serve as part of or beotherwise associated with the anchor 208 moving along the anchor guide214, the restraint anchor 308 moving along the restraint anchor guide314, the seat anchors 316, 320 moving along the respective seat guides318, 322, and/or the footrest anchor 326 moving along the footrest guide328. The EA device 730 includes an EA element in the form of adeformable element 744 such as a honeycomb member, a deformable tube, orother extruded member with a tunable force or predetermined loadthreshold at which deformation in the form or compression or crumplingoccurs. In this manner, the deformable element 744 controls movement ofan anchor point 734 with motion of the anchor point 734 indicated usinga dotted-line arrow M. Motion of the anchor point 734 can occur afterthe tunable force or predetermined load threshold is met or in responseto a command to allow movement received from a controller.

The tunable force or predetermined load threshold described in respectto the EA devices 430, 530, 630, 730 can be based on or associated withvarious inputs related to the vehicle or a vehicle event such as a rapiddeceleration or an imminent collision. For example, the tunable force orpredetermined load threshold can be based on inputs to a controller (notshown) such as vehicle speed, occupant mass, occupant height, occupantposition in the seat 200, 300, position of the seat back 206, 306, typeof vehicle event, location of vehicle event, time to vehicle event, etc.The controller can be configured to set or change the tunable force orpredetermined load threshold based on an assessment of occupant featuresupon the occupant entering or approaching the vehicle, prior to avehicle event, for example, within hundreds of milliseconds prior to animminent collision, or after a vehicle event is detected, for example,using a mechanism configured to activate in under five, ten, or twentymilliseconds.

A command can be sent to a release mechanism or other mechanism (notshown) associated with the EA devices 430, 530, 630, 730 in order toinitiate controlled deformation or payout at the tunable force orpredetermined load threshold. The release mechanism or other mechanismcan be pyrotechnic, electromechanical, pneumatic, mechanical,reversible, or non-reversible. For example, deformation or payout mayoccur in a single direction with a blocking mechanism (not shown) tostop reverse movement. The release mechanism or other mechanism can beabsent, that is, the EA devices 430, 530, 630, 730 can be designed forinertia to trigger deformation above the tunable force or predeterminedload threshold. The EA devices 430, 530, 630, 730 can also be controlledor otherwise inhibited such that no deformation or payout occurs if arecline angle associated with the seat 200, 300 is below a reclinethreshold, such as below a 30, 45, or 60 degree recline threshold. Inother words, movement of the anchor points 434, 534, 634, 734 undercontrol of the described EA devices 430, 530, 630, 730 may be prohibitedunless predetermined conditions such as an imminent vehicle event and adeep recline angle above the predetermined recline threshold are met.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram that shows a safety system 846. The safetysystem 846 can include a controller 848, sensors 850, an anchor system852, a seat system 854, and a footrest system 856. The anchor system 852can include components and operate in a manner similar to the restraints202, 302, the anchor 208, the anchor guide 214, the restraint anchor308, and the restraint anchor guide 314 described in reference to FIGS.2A-3B. The seat system 854 can include components and operate in amanner similar to the seats 200, 300, the seat pans 204, 304, the seatbacks 206, 306, the seat anchors 316, 320, and the seat guides 318, 322described in reference to FIGS. 2A-3B. The footrest system 856 caninclude components and operate in a manner similar to the footrest 324,the footrest anchor 326, and the footrest guide 328 described inreference to FIGS. 3A-3B. The safety system 846 is shown as includingthe anchor system 852, the seat system 854, and the footrest system 856,but one or more of these components may be absent from the safety system846 and the other components can continue to operate in the mannerpreviously described.

The controller 848 coordinates operation of the safety system 846 bycommunicating electronically (e.g., using wired or wirelesscommunications) with the sensors 850, the anchor system 852, the seatsystem 854, and the footrest system 856. The controller 848 may receiveinformation (e.g., signals, information, and/or data) from the sensors850 and may receive information from and/or send information to otherportions of the safety system 846 such as the anchor system 852, theseat system 854, the footrest system 856, or other portions (not shown).

The sensors 850 may capture or receive information related, for example,to components of the safety system 846 and from an external environmentwhere the safety system 846 is located. The external environment can bean exterior of a vehicle or an interior of a vehicle. Informationcaptured or received by the sensors 850 can relate to seats, anchors,footrests, occupants within a vehicle, other vehicles, pedestriansand/or objects in the external environment, operating conditions of thevehicle, operating conditions or trajectories of other vehicles, and/orother conditions within the vehicle or exterior to the vehicle.

The safety system 846 can change an operational mode of the anchorsystem 852, the seat system 854, and/or the footrest system 856 based ona control signal, such as a signal from the controller 848. The controlsignal may be based on information captured or received by the sensors850 and may cause various components within the safety system 846 tochange between various operational modes.

For example, a control signal can cause the anchor system 852 to changefrom a first operational mode where an anchor point of a restraint isheld in a fixed position to a second operational mode where the anchorpoint is moveable in relation to an anchor guide. In another example, acontrol signal can cause the seat system 854 to change from a firstoperational mode where a seat pan is held in a fixed position inrelation to a seat back to a second operational mode where the seat panis movable in relation to a seat guide and in relation to the seat back.In another example, a control signal can cause the footrest system 856to change from a first operational mode where a footrest is held in afixed position to a second operational mode where the footrest ismoveable in relation to a footrest guide.

Various technologies may be used to implement the safety system 846. Forexample, the anchor release mechanism 215 of FIGS. 2A to 2C, the EAdevices 430, 530, 630, 730 of FIGS. 4-7, or other electromechanicaldevices, pneumatic devices, pre-tensioned spring devices, magneticsystems, telescoping systems, cable or tether systems, etc. can all beused to implement motion control within the safety system 846.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a hardware configuration for a controller 954that may be used to implement the controller 848 and/or other portionsof the safety system 846. In the illustrated example, the controller 954includes a processor 956, a memory device 958, a storage device 960, oneor more input devices 962, and one or more output devices 964. Thesecomponents may be interconnected by hardware such as a bus 966 thatallows communication between the components.

The processor 956 may be a conventional device such as a centralprocessing unit and is operable to execute computer program instructionsand perform operations described by the computer program instructions.The memory device 958 may be a volatile, high-speed, short-terminformation storage device such as a random-access memory module. Thestorage device 960 may be a non-volatile information storage device suchas a hard drive or a solid-state drive. The input devices 962 mayinclude sensors and/or any type of human-machine interface, such asbuttons, switches, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen input device, agestural input device, or an audio input device. The output devices 964may include any type of device operable to send commands associated withan operating mode or state or provide an indication to a user regardingan operating mode or state, such as a display screen, an interface for asafety system such as the safety system 846, or an audio output.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is thegathering and use of data available from various sources, such as fromsensors 850 or user profiles, to improve the function of safety systemssuch as the safety system 846. The present disclosure contemplates thatin some instances, this gathered data may include personal informationdata that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate aspecific person. Such personal information data can include demographicdata, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitterIDs, home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health orlevel of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medicationinformation, exercise information), date of birth, or any otheridentifying or personal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of personal informationdata, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users.For example, the personal information data can be used to deliverchanges to operational modes of safety systems to best match userpreferences or profiles. Other uses for personal information data thatbenefit the user are also possible. For instance, health and fitnessdata may be used to provide insights into a user's general wellness ormay be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology topursue wellness goals.

The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible forthe collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use ofsuch personal information data will comply with well-established privacypolicies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities shouldimplement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining personal information data private andsecure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users and should beupdated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personalinformation from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonableuses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimateuses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving theinformed consent of the users.

Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps forsafeguarding and securing access to such personal information data andensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhereto their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities cansubject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify theiradherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Inaddition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particulartypes of personal information data being collected and/or accessed andadapted to applicable laws and standards, includingjurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US,collection of or access to certain health data may be governed byfederal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability andAccountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries maybe subject to other regulations and policies and should be handledaccordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained fordifferent personal data types in each country.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesembodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to,personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplatesthat hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent orblock access to such personal information data. For example, in the caseof user-profile-based safety systems, the present technology can beconfigured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” ofparticipation in the collection of personal information data duringregistration for services or anytime thereafter. In addition toproviding “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosurecontemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use ofpersonal information. For instance, a user may be notified upondownloading an app that their personal information data will be accessedand then reminded again just before personal information data isaccessed by the app.

Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personalinformation data should be managed and handled in a way to minimizerisks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can beminimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once itis no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including incertain health related applications, data de-identification can be usedto protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, whenappropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth,etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g.,collecting location data a city level rather than at an address level),controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users),and/or other methods.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use ofpersonal information data to implement one or more various disclosedembodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the variousembodiments can be implemented without the need for accessing suchpersonal information data. That is, the various embodiments of thepresent technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all ora portion of such personal information data. For example, changes inoperational modes in safety systems can be implemented for a given userby inferring user preferences or user status based on non-personalinformation data, a bare minimum amount of personal information, othernon-personal information available to the system, or publicly availableinformation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A safety system, comprising: a restraintconfigured to secure an occupant to a seat; an anchor coupled to therestraint and movable along an anchor guide; an anchor energy-absorbing(EA) device configured to control movement of the anchor along theanchor guide; and a controller that includes a processor configured to:receive information indicative of an imminent vehicle event; receiveinformation indicative of a recline angle of the seat being above arecline threshold; and send a command to enable the anchor to move alongthe anchor guide under control of the anchor EA device based on theinformation indicative of the imminent vehicle event and the reclineangle being above the recline threshold.
 2. The safety system of claim1, wherein the anchor is movable along the anchor guide in at least oneof a fore-aft direction or an up-down direction in relation to the seat.3. The safety system of claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: receive information indicative of the recline angle beingbelow the recline threshold; and send a command to prohibit movement ofthe anchor along the anchor guide based on the information indicative ofthe recline angle being below the recline threshold.
 4. The safetysystem of claim 1, further comprising: an anchor release mechanismmovable between a locked position in which the anchor release mechanismrestrains movement of the anchor relative to the anchor guide and anunlocked position in which the anchor release mechanism permits movementof the anchor relative to the anchor guide, wherein the processor isfurther configured to send a command to the anchor release mechanism tocause the anchor release mechanism to move from the locked position tothe unlocked position based on the information indicative of theimminent vehicle event and the recline angle being above the reclinethreshold.
 5. The safety system of claim 1, wherein the reclinethreshold is greater than or equal to 45 degrees or greater than orequal to 60 degrees.
 6. The safety system of claim 1, wherein the anchorEA device comprises an EA element disposed within the anchor guide andconfigured to deform above a predetermined load threshold to controlmovement of the anchor along the anchor guide.
 7. The safety system ofclaim 6, wherein the EA element includes notches spaced along alongitudinal axis of the anchor guide.
 8. The safety system of claim 1,wherein the anchor EA device comprises a cable coupled to the anchor andconfigured to payout from a cable guide above a predetermined loadthreshold to control movement of the anchor along the anchor guide. 9.The safety system of claim 8, wherein the cable guide comprises a spooland a torsion bar configured to control payout of the cable about thespool and along the anchor guide.
 10. The safety system of claim 8,wherein the cable comprises a ductile strip and the cable guidecomprises barriers configured to deform the ductile stripe to controlpayout of the ductile strip along the anchor guide.
 11. A safety system,comprising: a seat comprising a seat back positioned in relation to aseat pan at a recline angle; a restraint configured to secure anoccupant to the seat; an anchor coupled to the restraint and movablealong an anchor guide; an anchor release mechanism configured toprohibit or allow movement of the anchor along the anchor guide; ananchor energy-absorbing (EA) device configured to control movement ofthe anchor along the anchor guide; and a controller that includes aprocessor configured to: receive information indicative of an imminentcollision; receive information indicative of the recline angle beingabove a recline threshold; and send a command to the anchor releasemechanism to allow movement of the anchor along the anchor guide undercontrol of the anchor EA device based on the information indicative ofthe imminent collision and the recline angle being above the reclinethreshold.
 12. The safety system of claim 11, wherein the anchor ismovable along the anchor guide in at least one of a fore-aft directionor an up-down direction in relation to the seat.
 13. The safety systemof claim 11, wherein the recline threshold is greater than or equal to30 degrees or greater than or equal to 45 degrees.
 14. The safety systemof claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: receiveinformation indicative of the recline angle being below the reclinethreshold; and send a command to the anchor release mechanism toprohibit movement of the anchor along the anchor guide based on theinformation indicative of the recline angle being below the reclinethreshold.
 15. The safety system of claim 11, wherein the seat ismovable along a seat guide, further comprising: a seat EA deviceconfigured to control movement of the seat in respect to the seat guide,wherein the processor is further configured to send a command to allowmovement of the seat along the seat guide under control of the seat EAdevice based on the information indicative of the imminent collision andthe recline angle being above the recline threshold.
 16. The safetysystem of claim 15, wherein the seat pan of the seat is movable alongthe seat guide in at least one of a fore-aft direction or an up-downdirection in relation to the seat back.
 17. The safety system of claim15, further comprising: a footrest spaced from the seat and the anchorand movable along a footrest guide; and a footrest EA device configuredto control movement of the footrest along the footrest guide, whereinthe processor is further configured to send a command to allow movementof the footrest along the footrest guide under control of the footrestEA device based on the information indicative of the imminent collisionand the recline angle being above the recline threshold.
 18. The safetysystem of claim 17, wherein the anchor EA device, the seat EA device,and the footrest EA device each comprise an EA element configured todeform above a predetermined load threshold to control movement of theanchor, the seat, and the footrest along the anchor guide, the seatguide, and the footrest guide, respectively.
 19. The safety system ofclaim 18, wherein the EA element includes notches spaced along alongitudinal axis configured to deform above the predetermined loadthreshold or a cable configured to payout from a cable guide above thepredetermined load threshold.
 20. A method of controlling movement of anoccupant in a seat, comprising: receiving, at a controller, informationindicative of an imminent vehicle event and indicative of a reclineangle of the seat being above a recline threshold; sending a command,from the controller, to enable an anchor of a restraint associated withthe seat to move along an anchor guide under control of an anchor EAdevice based on the information indicative of the imminent vehicle eventand the recline angle being above the recline threshold; and sending acommand, from the controller, to enable the seat to move along a seatguide under control of a seat EA device based on the informationindicative of the imminent vehicle event and the recline angle beingabove the recline threshold.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein a seatpan of the seat is movable along the seat guide in at least one of afore-aft direction or an up-down direction in relation to a seat back ofthe seat, and wherein the anchor is movable along the anchor guide in atleast one of the fore-aft direction or the up-down direction in relationto the seat.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the anchor EA deviceand the seat EA device each comprise an EA element configured to deformabove a predetermined load threshold to control movement of the anchorand the seat along the anchor guide and the seat guide, respectively.23. The method of claim 20, further comprising: sending a command, fromthe controller, to enable a footrest to move along a footrest guideunder control of a footrest EA device based on the informationindicative of the imminent vehicle event and the recline angle beingabove the recline threshold.
 24. The method of claim 20, furthercomprising: receiving, at the controller, information indicative of therecline angle of the seat being below the recline threshold; sending acommand, from the controller, to prohibit movement of the anchor alongthe anchor guide based on the information indicative of the reclineangle being below the recline threshold; and sending a command, from thecontroller, to prohibit movement of the seat along the seat guide basedon the information indicative of the recline angle being below therecline threshold.